Brazilian teenager shot by gun hidden in room

A Brazilian teenager died after an antique shotgun which had been hidden for years fell to the floor and went off as he was cleaning his room.

Over the last five years a total of 3,296 licensed firearms and shotguns have been reported as stolen or lost.Photo: John Lawrence

11:42AM GMT 04 Jan 2013

Helciane Pereira da Silva, 14, was shot in the stomach by the gun, which is believed had been placed in a gap near the ceiling of the boy's room by a previous owner.Police in Monteiropolis, in Brazil's northeastern state of Alagoas, said the teenager had been rearranging his room at the time of the accident and had probably dislodged the handmade 19th century firearm.Helciane was rushed to hospital after the incident on Wednesday (2) but he later died of his injuries.Renilson Nunes, the regional chief police, told the Tribuna Hoje newspaper it was not known how long the shotgun had been hidden but an investigation had been launched to identify the weapon's owner.He said: "The shotgun appears to have been there for many years and was loaded. It fell to the floor at such an angle that it went off caused a fatal wound to the boy's stomach. He was very unlucky."